Top Story: NSW to be operational in August
The National Single Window (NSW) is expected to be fully operational in August this year, the assistant controller of the Royal Customs and Excise Department said yesterday. Through the NSW, traders electronically submit forms for export, import, and transit procedures only once, and they are processed and cleared by multiple government agencies in a single integrated process. Some components of the NSW have been made available online for viewing and registration purposes, said Hj Yassin Hj Ibrahim, the department's assistant controller.
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US to focus on TPP, says envoy - The United States will focus on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), despite many of its trading partners forging ahead with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), an ASEAN-initiated free trade area that would account for a third of the world's GDP. Speaking to reporters in Brunei yesterday, US Ambassador to ASEAN David Carden said: "Right now we're focused on the TPP and not the RCEP.
IN THIS UPDATE:
+ More can be done in retail anti-piracy drive
+ Kulczyk Oil Ventures gets rig for drilling on Block L
+ Brunei, Myamar for educational tie-ups
+ Invite talent to make Brunei 'software factory': Infosys chief
Kulczyk Oil Ventures gets rig for drilling on Block L | Brunei Times, Jan 16
An international upstream oil and gas exploration and production company, Kulczyk Oil Ventures Inc. (KOV) has recently announced that AED South East Asia Limited (AED SEA), has signed a drilling contract with PT Energi Tata Persada (PT Energi) for the use of their drilling rig on Brunei's Block L Phase 2 drilling campaign. AED SEA, the indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of KOV, will drill two exploration wells "to meet Phase 2 drilling commitments for Block L", upon receiving regulatory approvals before the end of August 2013, according to a KOV news statement released February 13.
Brunei, Myamar for educational tie-ups | Brunei Times, Feb 19
The Education Ministers of Brunei and Myanmar are eyeing exchanges between their respective higher education institutions, as the former wrapped up a two-year tour of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) facilities in the region. After visiting the SEAMEO Centre for History and Arts (SEAMEO CHAT) in Yangon, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Hj Apong paid a courtesy call on Professor Dr Mya Aye, the Union Minister for Education at Myanmar's Department of Higher Education.
Invite talent to make Brunei 'software factory': Infosys chief | Brunei Times, Jan 18
Turning Brunei into a "software factory of the world" will require the country to adopt policies that are friendly to attract foreign talent, said a prominent Indian businessman yesterday during a special lecture at The Core, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy is the Chairman Emeritus and founder of Infosys, which is a prominent information technology software company based in India. He is also considered one of the "greatest entrepreneurs of our time", listed in Fortune Magazine in 2012.
More can be done in retail anti-piracy drive | Brunei Times, Feb 18
Retailers in Brunei Darussalam are being urged to step up their role in the battle against piracy as reforms targeting the sale of illegal counterfeits gain pace. The Sultanate hopes a nationwide crackdown, together with an anti-piracy awareness campaign, will prove instrumental in improving both the investment environment and retailers' bottom lines. However, critics say there is still room to strengthen legislation and the enforcement drive. In December 2012, the Recording Industry of Malaysia (RIM) recommended that Brunei Darussalam be removed from the US Trade Representative's "Special 301 Watch List", which covers violations of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).